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BRUSSELS: EU foreign policy representative Catherine Ashton slammed the Taliban on Wednesday for shooting a teenage Pakistani child campaigner in what she described as “a vile aggression.”

Malala Yousafzai, 14, was in intensive care after being shot in the head in broad daylight on a school bus Tuesday in Mingora, where she had campaigned for the right to an education during a two-year Taliban insurgency.

Doctors described her condition as critical.

Ashton said in a statement that she was “appalled” the teenager had been attacked for advocating girls' rights.

“Malala's bravery in one so young and the principled stand she has taken are a source of admiration for all of us,” Ashton said.

“This vile aggression is an assault both on basic human values and against all human rights defenders in Pakistan.”